A concrete batch plant proposed for unincorporated Tarrant County between Burleson and Mansfield will not be built after state regulators denied the company's air-quality permit, closing out a fight that neighbors waged for nearly three years. J7 Ready Mix had applied to build the plant at 5428 East FM 1187, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ruled to dismiss the application with prejudice, meaning the company cannot refile the same case in the same court.
Brandon McElroy, who lives within 440 yards of the proposed site, said he first grew curious about construction activity near his backyard in September 2023, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. That curiosity turned into a campaign: McElroy went on to found the nonprofit Green Air Solutions, which led the opposition against J7 Ready Mix. Nearby residents began attending meetings as far back as late 2023 to raise concerns about pollutants and air quality, according to the Fort Worth Report.
A Site Close to Homes, Schools and a Future Highway Corridor
Twenty-six homes sit across from the proposed site, which also sat near an event venue, restaurants and an RV park, the Fort Worth Report found in its earlier coverage of the dispute. The Star-Telegram reports the location also sat about 600 feet from a future intermediate school and roughly 2,600 feet from a future high school in the Mansfield school district — proximity that fueled much of the community's alarm.
McElroy said J7 Ready Mix did not follow proper procedures for publishing public notices or providing the public a copy of its permit application, per the Star-Telegram's reporting. TCEQ itself found the company's application deficient over incomplete public-notice steps, the Fort Worth Report noted in its December 2023 coverage, and the company received a notice of violation on Nov. 21 of that year following a state environmental investigation. Separately, the Star-Telegram reports that J7 Ready Mix began construction without a building permit in 2023, according to Tarrant County Fire Marshal Randy Renois.
Years of Fundraising and a Decisive Dismissal
McElroy and his neighbors raised funds to cover legal costs that the Star-Telegram pegs at approximately $100,000, though the Fort Worth Report's earlier reporting put the nonprofit's fundraising at more than $30,000 to hire an attorney. State Rep. David Cook also helped residents by locating auction venues and providing other support, per the Star-Telegram's account.
The case moved through TCEQ's administrative process over months. An administrative law judge granted McElroy's motion to dismiss with prejudice in June, recommending that state commissioners do the same, the Fort Worth Report reported. J7 Ready Mix withdrew its air-quality permit application earlier this year, but officials still had to proceed with a formal vote on the recommendation, which was scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The commission's own agenda document stated that its administrative law judges recommended dismissal of the application, and the commission held its hearing in Austin before ruling to deny J7 Ready Mix the permit.
Residents Call It a Decisive Win
McElroy described the outcome as a decisive win and said his fight against J7 Ready Mix was over, according to the Star-Telegram. He added a pointed remark about development pressure creeping toward rural Tarrant County, saying, “At this point, you might as well move in to the city.” The Stop the Ready Mix Facebook group also posted a statement framing the fight as an effort to protect families, property, air quality and the community's future, per the Star-Telegram's reporting.
Not every development fight near McElroy's home ended the same way. A steel company separately purchased land behind his home to build an I-beam plant, the Star-Telegram reported, underscoring how quickly unincorporated land near Burleson and Mansfield continues to attract industrial interest even as this one battle concludes.
A Fight Playing Out Statewide
The Tarrant County case also reflects a broader statewide debate over how much say neighbors get before concrete batch plants move in. Current state law limits who can request a hearing on a batch plant permit to people living within 440 yards of the site, the Fort Worth Report has reported, a restriction that shaped McElroy's own standing to challenge J7 Ready Mix. State Rep. Nicole Collier has said regulating concrete batch plants is a priority and that local officials should have more say, while Senate Bill 276 would require companies seeking to build concrete-crushing facilities to notify local or county officials when applying for a TCEQ air permit, according to the same outlet's coverage of the 89th legislative session.
Concrete batch plants are part of an ongoing statewide reckoning with how these facilities are sited and regulated. J7 Ready Mix opened its first concrete batch plant in Alvarado in February 2023, and at that facility, co-manager Richard Mayhew has said the company uses frequent truck watering, dust-filter systems and laid asphalt as dust-control measures — practices the company had pointed to while seeking community buy-in for the now-rejected Tarrant County site.
